Islamabad, March 13 (NationPress) A tragic incident occurred in the Bettani tribal region of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where a devastating explosion resulted in the loss of six police personnel and left one injured, according to local media reports.

A representative from the local police department confirmed that the blast targeted a police vehicle, leading to the fatalities and injuries. In response to the incident, additional police forces have been dispatched to the scene to secure the area and facilitate further emergency actions, as reported by the well-known media outlet Geo News.

Since the Taliban's takeover in Kabul, there has been a marked escalation in cross-border terrorist activities within Pakistan, particularly in regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which share borders with Afghanistan.

In reaction to rising terror incidents, Pakistan initiated Operation 'Ghazab lil-Haq', claiming to have eliminated over 641 Afghan Taliban fighters in various strikes along the border and within Afghanistan, according to Geo News. Prior to this operation, airstrikes were conducted in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces. The Taliban, however, have accused Pakistan of executing lethal airstrikes in civilian areas of Nangarhar and Paktika, resulting in numerous civilian casualties.

On March 8, a senior officer with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was killed by unidentified assailants in the Killi Ismail area of Quetta, Pakistan, as reported by local media. Inspector Metha Khan, who had recently joined the CTD, was fatally shot while traveling through the area. Reports indicate that the assailants, who were on motorcycles, fled immediately after the attack.

Following the shooting, law enforcement agencies sealed off the area, launching a search operation to apprehend the attackers.

Additionally, a report from an Islamabad-based think tank has indicated a worrying increase of 30 percent in combat-related fatalities across Pakistan in February, attributed to a rise in suicide attacks nationwide.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) documented 470 deaths and 333 injuries for February, including 96 civilians, 80 security forces, and 294 militants. Compared to January, this reflects a 74 percent increase in security personnel deaths, a 32 percent rise in civilian fatalities, and a 21 percent surge in militant deaths.

In February, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw the deaths of 53 security personnel and six civilians, while injuries included 35 security forces and 48 civilians due to three suicide bombings that claimed 17 lives, including 14 security personnel.

A suicide bombing in Islamabad resulted in 34 deaths and 165 injuries. Furthermore, a separate suicide bombing in Punjab's Bhakkar district claimed the lives of two police personnel and injured four others, as reported by Dawn. Notably, the eight suicide attacks recorded in January and February of this year almost equal half of the total incidents that occurred in 2025.

According to data from PICSS, the initial two months of 2026 saw 831 combat-related deaths, comprising 536 militants, 169 civilians, and 126 security forces.